Cruella is officially crawling back for a sequel, and the flick’s main star Emma Stone has officially signed onto reprise her role as the beloved villain.
When Disney+ released the villain’s original story, the public was unsure it would be followed with success, as opening weekends are no longer a measure of release strengths and the industry is in a difficult position with theaters re-opening and closing due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic. They did something right, though, as the film earned more than $222 million in worldwide ticket sales, earning itself a sequel that will once again star Stone along with director Craig Gillespie and writer Tony McNamara.
The 2021 film served as a prequel of sorts to Disney’s classic 101 Dalmatians, where its villain, Cruella, is brought back to her humble beginnings. For anyone unfamiliar with the recent release, Disney+ explained that it is set in 1970’s London amidst the punk rock revolution, [and] follows a young grifter named Estella, a clever and creative girl determined to make a name for herself with her designs.
She befriends a pair of young thieves who appreciate her appetite for mischief and together they are able to build a life for themselves on the London streets. One day, Estella’s flair for fashion catches the eye of Baroness von Hellman, a fashion legend who is devastatingly chic and terrifyingly haute, played by two time Oscar winner Emma Thompson. But their relationship sets in motion a crowd of events and revelations that will cause Estella to embrace her wicked side and become the raucous, fashionable, and revenge bent Cruella.
This is big news for Disney, who has been in a lawsuit with Scarlett Johansson over her contract for Black Widow. Like Cruella, the film was released on Disney+ PVOD tier, and the Marvel actress claims that her agreement was breached and there were issues with her compensation.
The lawsuit led to rumors and early buzz about Stone’s return to the series, igniting thoughts that she might sue for similar reasons to Johansson. However, we are glad to see these stories squashed as she will officially take part in the sequel.
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